AQHAWorldShow2018

by Kate Sanchez

on 01 Dec 2018

The 2018 Lucas Oil American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Championship Show took place November 1-17, in Oklahoma City, OK. According to AQHA, there were a total of 4,439 entries at this year’s show and the total purse that they were vying for was over $2.3 million! Several PCQHA members and exhibitors from CA and surrounding states faired well, capturing World Championships, Reserve World Championships and Top-Ten finishes at this year’s show.

Katie Fox of Chino Hills, CA, and her father, Dan Fox of Chino, CA, both had a stellar AQHA World Show. Katie first captured a win in the Amateur Two-Year-Old Stallion class with her father’s stallion, Romeiro. Additionally, Romiero won a World Championship in the Two-Year-Old Stallion class, led by Ross Roark. He was fit and prepared by Andy and Kendell Station. Katie also brought home the Amateur Boxing championship on five-year-old gelding Metallic Heritage, trained by Les and Leeann Oswald. The young horsewoman says her goal was to win a world championship on him but had no idea it would happen so soon. “He was the only horse shown in a snaffle bit in the finals…so that was really neat,” she says.

Katie’s third win was on Seismic Reaction, a 5-year-old gelding that she had to convince her dad to purchase out of a sale last year. It paid off as the pair teamed up to win the Level 3 Amateur Ranch Riding Championship, as well as capturing a Reserve World Championship in Junior Ranch Riding with trainer, Steve Meadows, and the Level 1 Ranch Riding Stakes Championship. Dan’s Solair won the Yearling Geldings World Championship, led by Ted Turner Jr., and fit and prepared by John Shepard, while Magnificence was the WCHA Weanling Filly Champion, led by Clint Fullerton, and fit and prepared by Luke and Abbi Castle. The family’s winning ways continued with 3 more top ten finishes at the show. FR Final Edition placed 5th with Dan in Amateur Yearling Colts and 9th with Randy Jacobs in Yearling Colts, while FR Rockstar finished out the lineup with an 8th place finish in Yearling Geldings with Randy Jacobs. “So many dreams came true for my family and I throughout the 2 weeks,” Dan says, “We couldn’t have done it without the amazing people we have behind these great horses.” He also shares that Rick and Leslie Lawrence have been an integral part in Fox Creek Ranch’s success this year. “Our horses and ranch have never looked better.”

Parris Rice of Moorpark, CA has been attending AQHA World Shows since she was 11 years old, and in that time has only missed two of the events. This year, Rice and her 3-year-old gelding, Almost Invited, finished in the top of every class they showed. The pair were crowned World Champions in the Level 2 Amateur Showmanship, placed third in the Amateur Hunt Seat Equitation, fourth in Level 3 Amateur Horsemanship, as well as sixth in Amateur Performance Geldings. Rice says she’s thrilled with the placings, especially with her horse being so young. “I ask, and he just gives,” she says, “to take a three-year-old to the finals is awesome and he was there with me every step of the way…he gave me everything!”

Bruce Vickery of Sanger, TX rode Extremely Good Stuff for Bruce and Garrett Crivelli, of Visalia, CA, to a World Championship in Level 3 Junior Trail. Lauren Stanley, Jeff Crivelli’s daughter, says “Rooster” was originally a Western Pleasure horse that they had high hopes to excel in trail, and when the young horsewoman tried him out, she knew he was a natural. Vickery has had the gelding in training since the Crivelli’s bought him and Stanley says the duo makes a “great team”. It was the horse’s second World Show appearance, and his first to make the finals, which he did through the shootout. Stanley says, that once he was in the finals, Rooster had his “gameface on”. “For him, the harder the better,” she shares, “He’s so athletic and agile, it was a great course for him.”

Dr. Kimberly Guenther of Sacramento, CA also achieved a World Championship. She and her horse, Always The Talk, captured the Level 2 Amateur Trail title, in what Guenther says was a “very unexpected” win. In the duo’s second trip to the World Show together, Guenther says they bested last year’s score in a hard, but “very fun” trail course. They also teamed up to make the Amateur Trail Level 3 finals, while trainer Justin Wheeler made the finals in the Level 2 Senior Trail with the gelding, as well.

Under the guidance of Charlie Cole and Jason Martin of Highpoint Performance Horses in Pilot Point, TX, Bonnie Sheren, of Studio City, CA, achieved an ample amount of success at this year’s World Show, as well. Sheren had three horses at the show and ended up with a 7th place finish on More Radical in the Level 2 Amateur Western Riding. Additionally, Cole showed the gelding to a 9th place finish in the Level 3 Senior Western Riding. Martin took home the World Championship on Sheren’s gelding Heza Radical Zip, in the Level 3 Senior Western Riding, making it a staggering 14-year streak where either Cole or Martin have won that particular class. Sheren’s third horse, Sleeptite, captured her another World Championship in the Level 2 Senior Trail class, with trainer Ashley Dunbar-Clock. The owner’s stellar show was then rounded out by a 5th place finish by Martin and Heza Radical Zip in Level 3 Senior Trail and a 7th place finish for Sleeptite and Dunbar-Clock in the Senior Western Riding Level 2. Sheren says the experience was great, although she could barely stand to watch the Western Riding finals, having two horses in the class. “It was very exciting to watch the trainers show and do so well,” she shares, “it was nerve-wracking though, I basically had my hands over my face the whole time!”

Elizabeth Brown of Strathmore, CA won a World Championship on 11-year-old Absolute Best Asset in the Level 2 Amateur Western Riding. Brown says she was “super surprised” to have won the title because she was the last horse to go and never heard her score. The duo was also 5th in the Level 2 Amateur Performance Halter Geldings class. Anthony Montes showed Absolute Best Asset to a Senior Western Riding Level 2 World Championship, as well. Brown also achieved a 10th place finish in the Level 2 Amateur Trail, on Signature Absolute, a horse she leased from Nancy Riggs, while Montes placed 7th in Level 3 Senior Trail on the steady gelding.

Jenn and Justin Wheeler out of Hollister, CA had several clients showing at the World Show this year and saw great success as a barn. CR Hershey Bar, owned by Sharon Conway of Gilroy, CA won the Level 2 Junior Trail World Championship with Justin, while they finished 5th in the Level 3 Junior Western Riding, 10th in the Level 3 Junior Trail, and were finalists in the Level 2 Open Performance Halter Geldings. CR Hershey Bar was also shown by Conway, and the Wheeler’s say they are very proud of their accomplishments together. “Sharon bred and raised that horse, and we’ve done all the training from day one,” Jenn says, “we were really excited for the win.” In addition to the top placings, CR Hershey Bar was an AQHA Super Horse contender, at just 5 years old, and Jenn says it was “really neat to be able to hang that sign on his stall.” Amy Groefsema of Lemoore, CA, also rides with Wheeler Performance Horses. Her horse, My Dream Remembered and John Boxell placed 5th in the Level 2 Open Performance Halter Geldings and 7th in the Level 3 Open Performance Halter Geldings classes. Groefsema herself was a finalist in the Level 2 Amateur Performance Halter Geldings with My Dream Remembered. “We were really proud of Amy,” Jenn shares, “She had some tough luck but had a beautiful horsemanship go and missed the finals and shootouts in a few classes by just half of a point.” Justin also showed Beverly Baker’s A Goodtime Flatline to an 11th place finish in a new class offered, Pleasure Versatility, enabling future all around horses to get into the show pen and exhibit their talents.

Linda Katz of Agoura Hills, CA owns CD Highlights, who was shown by Randy Paul to a 4th place finish in the Senior Working Cowhorse Level 3. Katz describes her young stallion as “drop dead gorgeous” and says Paul has done all the training on him. Of her world show experience, Katz says she met a lot of nice people, the show was extremely well-organized, and she hopes to make it back again next year.

Jean Swiss of San Diego, CA couldn’t make it to the show this year, but watched the live feed as Katy Krshka, showed her 10-year-old gelding, A Blazing Reflection, to a 10th place finish in the Level 2 Senior Western Riding. Swiss says she’s thrilled for Krshka in her first year as a professional and describes her gelding as a horse that’s “always great”.

Kim Portney of Laguna Hills, CA, owns Whiskey In The Dark, and is proud that the stallion and trainer Kelley Roberts made the finals in both the Level 2 Junior Western Riding and the Level 2 Junior Trail. In his last year as a Junior horse, Portney says that she’s excited for the placings and will show the stallion next year in Western Riding at the big shows, and already has him qualified for the Amateur World Show next year in Trail.

Trainer Michael Hoyt from Moorpark, CA, piloted a few horses to the finals for his clients. Certainly Chatty, owned by Suzanne Benson of Woodland Hills, CA, was a finalist in Level 2 Senior Western Pleasure, while Bettr Than You, owned by Judy Kennedy of Malibu, CA, made the finals in Level 2 Junior Trail.